


The Second Time Around

by greekowl87



Category: The X-Files
Genre: F/M, MSR, Post-Movie: The X-Files: I Want To Believe (2008)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-17 11:34:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29592183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greekowl87/pseuds/greekowl87
Summary: Post IWTB. Scully avoids Mulder after coming home from the hospital when her world is shaken, again.
Relationships: Fox Mulder/Dana Scully
Comments: 5
Kudos: 55
Collections: X-Files Dialogue Fanfic Exchange (2021)





	The Second Time Around

**Author's Note:**

  * For [msgilliana](https://archiveofourown.org/users/msgilliana/gifts).



> Prompt: 1. “Please come home, I miss you” and “I’m pregnant” | Anytime after go run but during/post IWTB is a plus! | Please make it really angst and include smut
> 
> Huzzah for angst fic with smut! I hope this fic delivers!
> 
> I did something similar with this with a prompt I got on Tumblr a while ago for an AU IWTB believe scene where Scully reacts to Dakota Whitney’s cheek brush move while she was pregnant. I proceeded to do an entire reimagining of the movies. With this one, I’m doing it as a post-IWTB AU and off we go!

Even though Mulder was free, it didn’t feel like it. Not really.

The government was no longer hunting him down. He was free to come and go as he pleased. Still stuck in his office, Mulder saw the new pickup truck that Scully had bought for him. But now that the case was solved and he was free, nothing had changed between him and Scully. He continued to feel a rift coming between them. A growing ocean which he was losing sight of her more and more.

He looked at his new cellphone and debated calling her. She would sometimes call him on the way home from the hospital about dinner, but ever since they solved their latest x-file, things hadn’t changed. Their trip to St. Croix seemed to temporarily remedy things.

The crystal blue tropical waters, the white sand, the secluded hotel...all of it created a false illusion, a different reality, where everything was okay and they pretended that he didn’t spend six years hiding. They retraced each other’s bodies all over their hotel and the tropical island, remembering what, how, and why they loved each other. But when Sunday came and the plane back to the mainland awaited, the storm clouds returned and they fell back into their old habits.

She retreated into the hospital, burying herself in her work like she did when she avoided talking to him. Mulder tried to use his newfound freedom to good use like going into town, picking up groceries, cooking, running errands. But after a couple of weeks, it became pointless. Scully continued to stay at the hospital late, Mulder’s depression returned with new vigor. It was a useless exercise.

On the morning of February 23, Scully rose early while it was still dark, slipped into the shower, and tried to get ready for the day without waking up Mulder. By the time Mulder woke up a short time later, he found the other half of the bed cold and empty. Sometimes she would leave a note but when he came downstairs looking for one, the living room and kitchen looked especially empty.

“Same shit, different day,” Mulder muttered as he made himself a pot of coffee.

He glanced at the calendar and noted it was her birthday. Despite his teasing at the beginning of their partnership, he never forgot her birthday. But giving cheesy gifts wasn’t something that they did. Mulder leaned back against the counter and sipped his coffee in thought.

He could do something special for her. He had watched enough cooking shows over the past seven years to gain the confidence that he could whip up a decent cake from scratch. And maybe doing something nice and homemade like that would at least give her inspiration to talk to him.

After another day of errands, cooking, and baking. The orange creme cake with vanilla frosting looked sad sitting next to the stove. In the fridge, a casserole just needed to be thrown into the oven. Mulder sighed out in the living room as he flicked through the channels uselessly. He glanced at the clock and saw the strike at 8:00 pm. He checked his cell phone for messages and saw nothing from her.

Sighing, Mulder got up and put the cake away in the fridge. He adjusted the vase of flowers he had got her and picked up the neat gift bag and put it in the closest out in the living room. His heartfelt broken. Maybe he caused all this when he had grown distant during that last x-file. God, why was his life so fucked up?

He reached for his cell and dialed her number. After receiving no answer, he sighed and left a message. “Uh, hey, Scully. It’s me, Mulder. I was hoping you’d be home tonight. I miss you. I bet you’re busy at the hospital.” He sighed and closed his eyes. “I just...I just wanted to tell you something. Please come home, I miss you. Call me. I hope to see you soon.”

Mulder ended the call and turned off the light. He decided to leave his phone downstairs. He double-checked all the locks and went upstairs to an empty bed and a cold bedroom. “Hello, darkness, my old friend,” he mumbled.

He thought about taking a hot shower but no fantasy could replace the real thing knowing that he knew it, not even his photographic memory. He stripped down to his boxers and crawled into the icy bed. However, sleep wouldn’t come. Mulder’s mind spun on overdrive, overthinking worst-case scenarios. He heard Scully’s new blue Corolla in the driveway and saw the headlights reflecting off the ceiling. He gazed at the clock. 9:02.

He flipped on the light and sat up in bed. He had missed her this morning, she avoided his phone calls all day. He wasn’t going to miss her this time. Especially on her birthday. He turned on the light and lounged back in bed. He quickly searched for a book to make it look like he was reading something.

Their bedroom door opened and Scully looked exhausted. “I thought you’d be asleep,” she said. 

She began to move throughout the room, taking off her jacket, unbuttoning her blouse, and putting away her shoes. “I couldn’t sleep,” he replied. He set the book aside and sat up straighter in bed. “I missed you this morning. I tried calling you multiple times. Did you get my voicemail?”

“Um, I can’t remember,” she said. She was gathering her robe and silk pajamas. “It was just stressful today, Mulder. I just want to take a bath and go to bed.”

Mulder’s insecurity was gnawing at him like a hungry dog and its bone. “Did I do something wrong?”

“What? No! I just had a bad day, Mulder.”

“Because I didn’t forget your birthday. If that was why you stayed late.”

She stilled and sat on the edge of their bad, close but out of arms’ reach. “Was today the 23rd?” She mumbled to herself in confusion.

“You forgot your birthday? Scully? What is it?”

“Nothing, everything’s fine.” She blinked, staring off into the distance, and hid her face in her hand. “I can’t believe I forgot.”

“Then tell me what’s the matter.”

“Nothing!” She snapped. “I’m fine.” 

She got up to move back towards their bathroom. Mulder sighed. “Is it me?”

Scully sighed wearily. “What are you talking about? Why would it be you, Mulder?”

Ever since they returned from their tropical vacation on St. Croix, it had been difficult between them. They had spent two weeks in a tropical paradise. The warm, crystal clear waters washed away the darkness, and the warm sun gave them light. They refound their earthly and cosmic connection. And during that time, they were good. Yet, when they boarded the plane back to the mainland, the cold of winter and dark clouds brought the cold and distance again.

“I don’t know,” he shrugged. “I seem to be more of a hindrance than anything these days.”

She sighed again and went back to the edge of the bad, still away from him. “What are you talking about?”

“It feels like nothing’s changed between us. I feel like we’ve grown worse. I know me being at home all the time...the isolation,” he shrugged. “The trip healed a few things but I feel like we’re still in the same boat, if not worse.”

“Everything’s fine,” she repeated.

Mulder tilted his head, noticing she wasn’t looking at him. She kept her blue eyes focused on the wood floor in front of her. “Is it, Scully?”

“Call me insecure. Call me jealous. While I still have the changes hanging over me, I thought you would leave me, fed up with all the bullshit I have put you through for the past eight years.” She leaned back on her hands and rolled her eyes up to the skies. “I remembered your birthday. I baked a cake, I had dinner ready…”

She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose as if his words brought her pain.

“Scully, I honestly don’t know what you want me to do. You avoided my phone calls all day. Like is it something I did? The last time I pissed you off, you avoided me like you are now.”

Scully leaned forward. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Well, we aren’t going to solve it by ignoring it. You have to talk to me at some point. What is it? Do you want me to get a job? Did I do something wrong? Are you unhappy? Tell me how you feel!”

She snapped, “I don’t know what I feel!” He arched an eyebrow as she swelled and her lower lip trembled. “I don’t know how I should feel.”

Her blue eyes were glassy like ice as tears threatened to flow. “Then start anywhere,” he pressed. “Just tell me something so I know what I can do.”

“Last time, you weren’t there.”

He pulled his head back. “What do you mean?” She toyed with her cross, silent. “Scully?”

“I’m pregnant.”

“What?”

She bit her lower lip and wrapped her arms around herself tightly. “I’m pregnant?”

“Are you sure? How can you be sure?” The words were barely a whisper. He titled his head, afraid he didn’t hear her correctly. “Say that again.”

She barely looked at him. “I’m pregnant.”

A rush of thoughts came through his head and he dared not to believe. “You’re...pregnant?”

“How many times are you going to make me repeat it?” She snapped again. “I’m pregnant, okay? That’s why I’ve been avoiding you all day! Much less for the entire week.”

“Why? I mean, this would be good news, right?”

“How? I shouldn’t be able to get pregnant! Especially now! Wi...he was a miracle and one that I wasted,” she spat. She got up and paced in front of him. “I can’t deal with it all over again. I can’t know that he is out there. Christian brought up feelings that I thought I had dealt with but this…” She laughed and cried with tears. “Mulder, do you think this is some sort of punishment?”]

“What are you talking about? I mean this is good news, isn’t it?”

“Is it really?” She leaned against the doorframe of the bathroom and crossed her arms. “I couldn’t take care of the son we had and gave him to strangers to raise. Do you think he is happy? Do you think he is healthy? Normal?”

“I...I don’t know,” Mulder stammered. “Look, I know I wasn’t there and I regret that too…” Mulder struggled to find his voice. “I shouldn’t have left. There is a lot of things that I shouldn’t have done.”

“It’s not that,” she said. 

“Isn’t it? You’re not the only one with problems,” he said quickly. “He was my son too.”

“I’m not trying to discount your feelings,” she repeated. “What do you expect me to do?”

“What do you mean?”

When she first suspected the unforeseen pregnancy, she felt the unwanted anxiety begin the brew deep in the pit of her stomach. Over the coming weeks, it had bloomed into anxiety attacks. She shut down and kept the world out, including Mulder. She kept praying that it was a fluke. All the pregnancy tests she had taken were flawed somehow. But the tests at the hospital only confirmed her anxieties and things only grew worse in her.

Scully tried to keep her emotions in check. She had for years. The only one who knew her for her, good and bad, was Mulder. “You called me your constant, you’re touchstone. Do you still mean that, even now?”

“Why would you ask such a thing?”

She watched him. “Before, while you were still figuring out the case, I told you that I didn’t want to look into the darkness with you because I didn’t like what it did to us. This unexpected thing…” She shook her head. “I thought we could get away. St. Croix, the rowboat...it was supposed to be different.”

Mulder took a step closer. “What are you afraid of?”

“What am I not afraid of?” She questioned. “William was...is...different. Will this be any different? Will we have to fight cults? We don’t have the protection of the FBI. We’re private citizens.” She sighed. “Will I be a good mother? Will he be normal?”

He was quiet. William was a fragile topic that they both tried to avoid. “I think we should try not to worry about that right now.”

“How can I not? You have no idea what I went through!”

Her comment stung as bitter regret came forth like a tsunami. “But that is in the past, Scully. Things will be different. I promise.” She kept silent. “How did you know?”

“I had a feeling. You know my period is not always regular because of the cancer but I just had this nagging feeling. When I was at the hospital this morning, I had them do bloodwork and well, it came back positive.”

“How long?”

She watched him, knowing what he was asking.“Probably during our vacation to St. Croix.”

He mentally did the math. “I guess the tropical sun is a bit magical. Nine weeks?”

“Give or take.” She frowned and shook her head. “Does it really matter?”

“It does! Why didn’t you tell me sooner, even if you suspected it?”

“What was I supposed to say? Hey, Mulder, I think I’m pregnant! This time, you get to stick around!” She laughed bitterly. “I feel like God is trying to shit on us. I couldn’t take care of William and now this? Is someone trying to laugh at me?”

Mulder took note of her pronouns...I...me...there was no we or us. She never referred to him when she talked about William. As far as she knew, he might have well been the sperm donor. That’s how he still felt. He felt like she blamed him for most of it. “I know I wasn’t there and screwed up a lot of things. Is that why you were upset? You blame me?” 

She looked at him like he had grown a second head. “What? No! You have no control over bodily functions.”

Mulder got up and put his hands on his waist. He looked down at his feet. “Is that how you view me with William? Just as your sperm donor?”

“What? No! Stop putting words in my mouth! Where is this coming from?” She looked like she wanted to fall away from this earth. “I don’t blame you! He’s your son as well.”

He shook his head. “I know William is a,” he paused for the right words, “deep wound between us. You more than me since I made the mistake of leaving. I should have been there then but I’m here now.”

“It’s not that. I am not doubting you, Mulder.”

“Well, maybe you should have gotten rid of me long ago.” Mulder’s bitter words stemmed from his anxiety and only grew worse with each word. “I mean, you didn’t feel comfortable about telling me about this...maybe that is telling you something.”

“Like what? It’s not all about you.” She groaned. “I’m not getting rid of you. This isn’t about your insecurities. You did nothing wrong. It’s about me...I was a terrible mother to William. What makes you believe that this will be any different? What makes you believe this child will be any different than William.”

“What’s In the past is in the past.” Mulder was quiet and walked towards her. He saw her tense in anticipation. He took her hands and pulled her into an embrace. “I don’t know but I believe in you. I always have. That’s all that matters.”

“Just like magic, you can make it go away.” She stood stiff in his arms. “Like that makes it all go away. What makes you have so much faith?”

He shrugged and looked down at her. “It’s a start. I believe in you. Isn’t that enough?”

“Is it enough for the both of us?” She watched him. “At one time, it was but I am so uncertain of the future.”

“But I’m here.”

She nodded after a few moments and whispered, “You’re here this time. I am not letting go anywhere without me.”

“I know.”

Scully prided herself on her strength but sometimes, she wanted someone else to be strong for her. She felt him hold her close and all the tension, fear, and anxiety left her in a flood. All of sudden, that strength that she was relying on broke. She coiled his arms around her chest “It is,” she whispered. She found his right hand and pressed it against her abdomen. She took a deep breath. “We’re pregnant. We’re having another child. It’s going to be okay, right?”

“We’ll take it one step at a time. I think that we tend to do things better when we’re together, not divided, huh?” She laughed and nodded in agreement. “Is this why you’ve been avoiding me?”

She nodded into his chest. Her arms around his midsection.“You’re not mad?”

“Why would I be?”

She shrugged and he rubbed her back. “I’m afraid, Mulder. About this pregnancy, the future, everything. My age carries certain risks and with what happened last time...”

“I know,” he whispered, “I am too. But we’ll deal with this together. I’m going to support you every step of the way.”

He hugged her tightly, rocking her back and forth. “It’s not you. It’s never you,” she whispered. “I just want you to know that.”

“It’s still your birthday,” he whispered. He forced her to look up at him. “We can still celebrate if you want.”

Scully was still reeling from the shock of that he took the news of the pregnancy so well, despite the anxiety and bickering. She still had her reservations but she wanted to let herself forget it for the time being. She smiled with tears in her eyes. “How do you propose that, Fox Mulder? You just found you're going to be a father again.”

“I’m still processing that,” he said. He nuzzled her. “But it’s your birthday, we should celebrate. I mean unless there is something wrong with that?”

“With what? Sex? With the pregnancy? Oh, no. There would be nothing wrong with that.”

“See, we’re on the same wavelength. I had gotten you some expensive bubble bath for your birthday, I had made a cake, and had dinner planned but I have something else in mind.”

“I just want to let you know that I may not be the best partner. I’m tired, wearing clothes from a 12 hour day…”

“And I fell in love with you the very same.” Mulder laughed. “And you should know that I don’t care. I can help you relax better than any bubble bath.”

She took a deep breath and nodded. Moments like this, Mulder was like a drug. He could always make her temporarily forget and feel good. She was addicted to him in every way. But despite how good he could make her feel, there were moments of darkness too. She tried to push those thoughts from her head. “Help me undress?”

She felt him puff his chest like a peacock and she giggled. Sly hands gently finished unbuttoning her blouse. She closed her eyes as his warm fingertips teased the sensitive space beneath her breast. “Lace is so overrated,” he whispered. “Plain cotton.” He looked down. “And in black.”

She shook her head. “While I love your acute attention to detail, why don’t you help me shower?”

“Later, I have other plans first,” he said. “As you said, you’ve had a long day. But wouldn’t a shower be better afterward? Especially after I help you relax?” He paused. “Are you feeling any better, Scully?”

She was quiet and nodded. 

“And this won’t hurt…” Mulder’s voice drifted off, unsure of his own words. “The baby?”

She laughed. “I’m sure. I’m fine.”

“Well then, let’s get to work then.”

Mulder’s large hands traced her body reverently and slid the blouse off. She let herself surrender and be swept away by him. Mulder felt primal. He remembered when Scully had told him that the baby was his after rising from the dead. It felt different...detached. But now, he had no words for what he was feeling. It was like some deep, primal instinct had been awoken knowing that she was pregnant again...with his child, his flesh and blood. He spun her and sought her lips hungrily.

Scully’s arms twisted up his back and around his neck like vines. With practiced ease, he swung her upwards, carrying her to their bed. He sat her down in the middle and continued to undress her. “Aren’t you…”

“Ssshh,” he teased, silencing her with a kiss.

She laughed. “What are you doing?”

“Celebrating,” he replied, “by worshipping you.”

“Mulder,” she smiled.

“What?” He gently unzipped her slacks and slid them off. “Am I annoying you?”

“A bit,” she said. The previous stress that Scully had felt earlier was slowly leaving her. The anxiety about the future could be momentarily forgotten. His hands massaged her thighs as he lay next to her. “What are you doing?”

“Admiring you?” His eyebrows waggled. “What would you call it?”

“Admiring.” She snorted. “Really?”

Suddenly, the slow burn was killing her. He kissed her again, palming her breasts. “My constant,” he whispered. Mulder trailed a line of kisses down to her solar plexus. She arched her back slightly and he discreetly undid her bra. She sighed as he tossed it aside. “Better?” She managed a nod as Mulder turned his attention to her breasts. “You’re so beautiful. You know that?”

“You mentioned it once or twice.”

“It’s still your birthday. We’re not only celebrating the surprise news but we’re celebrating you?” 

She snorted again. Her birthday. “I was paying attention to dates.” She sighed. Just the slightest brush of his lips made her toes tingle. “Mulder?”

“Hm?” He broke his focus to look at her. “Scully?”

She would probably kill him for it later but right now, she wanted to feel it all. “Slower,” she whispered.

“Slower?”

“Slower.”

He gently nodded his head and continued to venture downwards. He paused near her belly button and kissed it reverently. She tensed as thoughts went back to the surprise pregnancy. Mulder paused and came back up to her level. He rolled to the side and pulled her close. “Scully, what is it? You have tears.”

She wiped her eyes. “I do?”

“You do,” he said. “What’s wrong.”

She shivered, shaking her head. “Nothing. I’m fine.” She frowned when he wasn’t continuing his massage. “Mulder, why did you stop?”

“And I’ve known you long enough to call your bluff. Is it something I did? The birthday?” He was quiet, studying her with a profiler’s eye. “The pregnancy?”

“Don’t look at me like that. It’s nothing. Mulder, please, continue.” She ruffled his hair affectionately. He hesitated, unconvinced. “Mulder, don’t make me ask again.” Before he could continue, she was already getting up from the bed and heading to their bathroom. The mood was dying. “Forget it, Mulder.”

He rolled onto his back. Just as he was getting into a mood, it was broken. The water was running in the other room but he could also hear her crying. What on Earth was wrong? What did he do or didn’t do? He got up and pushed open the door. “You have to talk to me sometime, Scully.”

Scully was wearing a robe, making no effort to get into the shower. She turned off the running water and sat on the toilet. She was hunched over with her arms coiled around her. “What do you want me to say, Mulder? I’m having a very hard time with all this.”

He crossed his arms, unsure of what to do or say. He shrugged. “I thought you would be happy. I mean, a chance for another child. Are you certain you are pregnant?”

Scully nodded. “I ran every conceivable test at the hospital. There’s no doubt. I just...I don’t know. I mean, can we do it? You weren’t here last time. I made the mistake of sending you away. I thought I could handle it last time and I ended up making one of the worst mistakes in my life.”

“Is that what is eating at you, Scully? The worst mistake was leaving you.” He kneeled in front of her. “I know I can’t change the past but you aren’t alone in this right now.” He took her hands. “I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.”

“You have your freedom back,” she said sadly.

“And? What do you expect me to do? Run off and chase aliens,” he joked. She met him with stony silence. “I’m not going to do that, Scully! I have the freedom to go to the grocery store again with you and those fancy Christmas parties. You can finally show me off. What did you think I would do?”

“Well, after the FBI came calling, I honestly didn’t know. I saw how alive you were. You miss it.”

He shrugged and nodded. “Yeah, I miss it but it doesn’t mean anything unless you are there with me. I know I would rather spend a lifetime with you than choosing the x-files and FBI. I would choose you every time.”

“St. Croix was nice,” she said softly, “but how much of it was real?”

“All of it. Why all this self-doubt?”

“I’m pregnant,” she answered matter-of-factly, “And remember, I’m not supposed to be able to. I’m kind in a crisis of faith right now.” She laughed bitterly. “How fitting, huh?”

Mulder kneeled to her level and took her hands. “I question our integrity of the shower and I don’t think a bath leaves much for her imagination.”

“Is sex all you think about,” she joked lamely.

“Only when it comes to you and making you feel good.” She gave a weak smile. “Ready to pick up where we left off? Stop thinking for right now and let me worry about it?” She laughed and he wiped away a few tears. “Come on.”

Mulder took her hands and pulled her up. He gazed at her lovingly and embraced Scully in a tight hug. She wrapped her arms around him, neither one not letting go. Mulder’s heart was thumping in his chest like the first time. “You might have a heart condition or you’re just happy to see me,” Scully whispered, looking up.

“Very happy.”

“Let’s do what we do best. Wordless communication.”

“Let’s pick up where we left off,” he said. He nibbled at her ear. “Come on.

He led her back to the bedroom. He undid the tie to her robe and kissed her neck. “Round two, ding-ding,” he teased. She smiled and he kissed her lips. “I made you smile there. Careful: it might stay that way.”

Scully, in a moment, grew bold. She pushed his shirt upwards and it fell to the ground along with the robe. “We’re equal after all.”

“Of course. You were reading my mind,” he whispered. Mulder pulled her in closer for a kiss but she pushed him back towards the bed. He never let go of her. “Me or you?”

“Me.”

She felt her arousal arrive back in a whirlwind, like a fire doused with gasoline. He was something else entirely. She pushed him back and straddled his hips. Slow movements against him only added to her growing need. As she grinned against him, he put against her still flat abdomen. Scully grabbed him by the wrist, holding it above his head. His other hand found its way to her hip and beneath her underwear.

“Silk? When did you put these on?” He teased. “Are you psychic?”

“More comfortable with the slacks I wore today.” She slapped his hands away. “Are you going got put that other hand to use?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

She groaned, surging forward, as he hit the right spot. “Good enough?”

She bit her lip and nodded. “You’re perfect.” Her hair fell over her shoulders. And Mulder moved to kiss her. “Scully…”

She pushed him back down onto the comforter. “What?”

“No fair.”

“I never said this was fair.”

The combination of his wonderful fingers and grinding against his jeans was slowly working her into a fever. “I wish you would let me taste you,” he begged. “Scully, this isn’t fair.”

“I never said anything about any of this being fair. You said this was celebrating me…”

“Us,” he teased.

“Mulder, another time,” she whispered. “But take off those jeans because it’s becoming an issue for me.” He lifted his hips, unbuttoned his jeans, as she unzipped them. Her fingers teased him as she got up on her thighs slightly to let him ease the undergarments off. She sighed in relief as she brushed against his naked shaft. “Mulder,” she groaned softly.

“I was about to say the same,” he smiled. She placed her hands on his chest and leaned forward to kiss him. “Oh, Scully,” he breathed reverently. “Scully.”

She continued grinding against him. The naked touch inflamed them both. Only after a few more minutes of her doing this, he was moaning her name. “Fuck, Scully,” he breathed. “I don’t have long.”

“I thought you were the king of endurance.” She pushed back and gently guided him inwards. “Mulder?”

His eyes closed at the sensation. It somehow felt different. “I’m sorry,” he said. “But the surprise kind sped things along. I feel different. You feel different.”

“Different?” She began to move with him inside her. “How so?”

“I don’t know,” he said. He began to match her movements. “I’d imagine what it was like last time.”

“Last time?”

“Last time. I feel…” Mulder watched her, surprised. She shook her head. “Well, I’m having trouble finding my words. Never mind that. The plan is not to be romantic; it is to adore and worship you.”

As she began to grow more comfortable, he surprised her by flipping her onto her back. She hissed in surprise, noticing they never lost contact. “What game are you playing,” she laughed.

“I feel,” Mulder paused in thought, rocking against her, “different. When you told me the news tonight, I felt primal?”

“Primal?”

Mulder leaned in more as her legs wrapped around him, deepening the connection between them. She let out a soft grunt as he began in earnest again, hitting that sweet spot again and again. She closed her eyes, seeing stars. “Yes,” he said. “I don’t know why but I did. Maybe it is a thousand years of evolution that creates this pride, this love…”

“Mulder, shut up and focus on the task on hand,” she hissed.

He grinned, feeling her hands claw at his back. He deliberately slowed and her eyes opened. “Don’t you dare stop when I’m this close,” she warned.

“Or what?” He gave her a smug grin. “Scully, look at me.”

“Will it make you go back to what you were doing?”

“Just, look at me. Just for a second.” She could feel him inside of her. Throbbing, alive, and it reminded her of the future growing inside her. “I love you,” he whispered. “I love you.”

All the stress and anxiety that had been pent up washed away in the tide of her orgasm as she cried his name as he renewed his efforts. He followed shortly later. He fell to the side as she tried to catch her breath. He pulled her close and whispered, “I’ll clean up in a sec. I just need to have you close.”

She wrapped his arm around her. “I’m in no rush.”

He breathed and kissed her shoulder. “I know there are a lot of uncertainties. I understand why you were stressed, angry, everything but I am right here waiting for you. I always will be. And I’ll be here this time. I’m not going anywhere. We’re in this together.”

“I know.” She stared at the wall as she tried not to let the thoughts of the future overwhelm her. Mulder rubbed her arm. “Do you want to take a shower and get cleaned up? I’ll pick up out here and get the bed ready.”

Scully made a silent promise to herself: she wouldn’t shut him out and go through this alone. Not again. “Why don’t you come to take a bath with me instead?”

“You sure?”

“Positive.”

Scully led him to their bathroom where she turned the water onto the hottest setting. She tied up her hair in a loose bun as Mulder gathered towels for them. “Are you feeling feisty still?”

“I just want to soak with you,” she replied, “nothing more. You know the drill.”

He noted she chooses to use any bubble bath or expensive oils she favored when she would come home from work. “You were perfect in St. Croix. You’re perfect now,” she answered, reading his mind. “You know the drill.”

“This isn’t the worshipping and adoration I had in mind for you,” he whispered. 

“It works all the same.”

Mulder climbed into the bathtub, gently easing himself into the steaming water before she followed shortly behind. She sighed happily as his arms came around her again and his legs cradled her. “I don’t need fancy bath oils or bubbles when you work a hundred times better.” She felt his hand trace her slick abdomen under the water and rest on the flat swell of her belly. She tried not to fidget. “It’ll still be a few weeks before I will show.”

"How about the sex?"

She chuckled. "Is that all you think about?"

"Not always."

"Well, unless there is something very wrong, there should be no problem. I haven't gotten that far yet. I just wanted to survive telling you."

"I think we both survived." He hummed. “This time is going to be different, Scully.”

She lifted their hands and entwined their fingers. “Promise.”

It was a request; it was a declaration. Mulder kissed her shoulder and rested his chin next to her ear. “Promise to the moon and back. And then forever. Things will be different the second time around. We'll make it right.”


End file.
